Data folder backup on Mac with Parallels VM Windows 10
Acronis True Image 2016 cannot connect to destination (Seagate) in order to backup data files from my Paralles Inc. Virtual Machine Windows 10.
When I establish the new destination using the "+", it works for the first time. However on subsequent tries it fails. I have to delete the new destination and re-add it as new, before it works.
I have no problem backing up the entire MAC including the Windows 10.pvm file. But I cannot restore data files from the Virtual Machine, unless I set them up as an additional backup. Doing that, however, I run into the problem I described above.
My Mac is a MacBook Pro Retina 13 inch early 2015 with OS-X Version 10.11.6.
The Parallels is Parallels Desktop 11 for Mac Version 11.2.1
Help would be greatly appreciated!
My guess is that in Parallels, you have the setting for USB devices prompted to ask which system to assign it to (the Windows VM or the Mac) and need to make that selection each time it's connected, or, it is being assigned to the Macintosh automatically. If it's not assigned to the VM automatically each time, when the machine sleeps and wakes up, it may be prompting to assign to the Mac, or reverting to the Mac.
I'm not sure if the VM keeps the drive assigned as the same disk each time, or if it generates a unique UUID each time. If it's assigning it as a different/new disk every time, this will be a problem. As a test, perhaps assign it a different drive letter in Windows (let's say S: for Seagate). Then, disconnect the drive and plug into differnt USB ports on the Mac to see if it automatically assigns to the VM each time and/or if it remains S: or gets a different drive letter at some point).
Thank you for the advice! The Seagate drive has to be set up as a Mac drive, else Acronis could not back up the Mac as a whole including the Virtual Machine (file name= "Windows 10.pvm"). Parallels is set up to share Mac and Windows files, but for some reason Acronis does not permit you to recover Windows data files, unless they are set up as a separate source. When I set up a new back-up, the source is labeled (by Acronis?) as:
"//guest:@localhost:49443/%BC%5D%20Windows%2010/data"
and the destination as:
"Seagate Backup Plus Drive"
Upon setup for the first time with this source and destination, it backs up fine. However, on subsequent backups, either manual or automatic, it gives a failure message.
I have ejected the back-up drive and plugged it into a new USB port to test your suggestion. It always comes up as drive "X:", regardless into which USB port it is plugged.
Thank you! I will repost on the forum you suggested.
avenaman,
I didn't think about the disk formatting originally. If the drive is formatted completely as "OS X Journaled" (HFS) I'd be suprised if the Windows VM could write to it at all. I'm guessing you could parition the drive so that part of it was dedicated specifically for the Mac side (OS X journaled) and create a second parition on the drive from within OS X and then format it from within Windows as NTFS. Ultimately though, you may want to reach out to Paralles technical support or forums to see how they would recommend doing it.
Paralles KB Article - Partitioning External Hard Drive
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2138886?tstart=0
Mac's can read NTFS, but can't natively write to NTFS. Windows can't read or write to OS X journaled drives. Both OS X and Windows can read/write to a FAT32 or exFAT, but there are some limitations to using those as well.
If it were me, I'd partiton the external drive on the Mac side first and create a second partition that is FAT32 (since there's no option to make it NTFS in OS X). Then, I'd go into your Windows VM and see if you can format that parition as NTFS.
**WARNING** - you should probably backup the entire drive first - just in case. Partioning from within OS X should leave your data in tact if done correctly, but if not, you risk wiping everything. To be on the safe side, I'd backup everything.